Calling Virtually My Entire Flock Into Question - Please Give Me Good News

[AmyJane725]

Hey guys,

After my two favorite "hens" turned out to be roos, I figured I might as well have you look at the rest of my babies that I'm not sure about. I'm "pretty sure" on some of them (though that's probably more wishful thinking). Please, for the love of God, don't tell me my bantam cochins are roos. (And yes, I know the term is technically cockerel, but I like roo...)

This is Munchkin. SHE is a 51 day old white cochin bantam. Please tell me she's a pullet.

This is her SISTER, Gusty, a self blue cochin bantam.

Now, their combs aren't overly red or huge, but their little wattles are starting to get some color. I'm really hopeful though, because here is a picture of their brothers at 20 days old.

As you can see, they already had bright combs and wattles. I also had a white cochin bantam that I'm pretty sure was a little roo. He had a big comb. Munchkin and gusty have only recently started getting their wattles and combs. Do not tell me they are late bloomers or something. Please.

Now, the rest of these are all some kind of silkie hybrid. They're bred to be bantam broilers to serve the Asian market. Most of them have single combs. A few have walnut. I'm not sure if the walnut comb goes along with small wattles or not. Anyway, I have banded them with my gender guesses. Would love any info from ya'll. They are all turning 6 weeks old tomorrow. I know regular silkies take like 6 months to figure out, but since these aren't purebred I was wondering if it was possible.

Pullet?

Pullet?

Pullet?

Roo

Roo

Roo?

 

[cmom]

Calling all silkie experts. Silkies are what I think are one of the breeds that are the hardest to sex. Wait and see if you get any eggs. They appear to be males from the pictures by their appearance, they look like males to me. I was once sold some chicks as Brown Leghorns of which I was looking for. When they started to lay eggs it confirmed my suspicion, they were Partridge Rocks, brown egg layers. I finally found a breeder and got some Brown Leghorns.

 

[AmyJane725]

All cockerels. So sorry!

Ok, what on the silkies makes them look like boys? (Of the ones I guessed were female?)

I'm sorry, but I can't believe I have 15 boys and 4 girls in my entire flock. This is absurd. How am I ever gonna find homes for all of these? I really don't want to have to cull them.

 

[AmyJane725]

Also, if Gusty is a boy, why did he develop so much later than his brothers? They had bright red combs and wattles at 3 weeks.

 

[AmyJane725]

Comb development

Does having a comb at all make them male, because some of them have a teeny tiny comb. I don't see how those are males when the ones that are surely male have big combs.

Sorry if I'm coming off as indignant. I'm pretty upset about this.

 

[cmom]

The combs can be misleading on silkies.

 

[AmyJane725]

No they can have "a comb" but yours have larger ones which make me think cockerel.

Maybe some of the pics make the comb seem bigger than it is, because a few of them have a little tiny comb.

 

[GuineaFowling]

I know how you feel hun! My ENTIRE flock of chicks turned out to be Roos and I was and am still soooo upset. I just placed an order from Meyer hatchery for female chicks because I don’t want to go through the heartbreak again

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

The first two silkies might be pullets. The second cochin might be a pullet. The rest are cockerels.

 

[AmyJane725]

I know how you feel hun! My ENTIRE flock of chicks turned out to be Roos and I was and am still soooo upset. I just placed an order from Meyer hatchery for female chicks because I don’t want to go through the heartbreak again

It's just horrible. You get so attached to them and then find out that they're all boys.

I'm now hoping to be able to keep two roos since they're my two favorite birds. Would break my heart to get rid of either of them. I guess if either of them get mean they'll have to go.